1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a locking and unlocking mechanism of a cable connector and a method for locking and unlocking the same.
2. Background Art
A mechanism, which has a structure, for example, of inserting a plug 1A into an adapter 1B, is known as shown in FIG. 14. In FIG. 14, the plug 1A comprises, for example, a cable holding member 3 for holding an end of a cable 2, such as an optical fiber cable and a lock release member 4, slidably installed at the outside of the cable holding member 3 in the direction for installing the cable holding member 3. The adapter 1B receives the cable holding member 3 for inserting the cable 2 through the cable holding member 3.
The cable holding member 3 comprises an engaging pawl 5 and an engaging hole 7 is formed in an elastic beam portion 6 of the adopter 1B. Two protrusions 8 are formed on both sides of the engaging pawl 5 on the lock release member 4. Here, the numeral 9 denotes a notched portion for receiving the protrusions 8 of the lock release member 4.
Accordingly, when the plug 1A is connected to the adapter 1B, since the protrusions 8 of the lock release member 4 pushes up the elastic beam portion 6 by inserting the cable holding portion 3 into the adapter 1B, while gripping the lock release member 4, the engaging pawl of the cable holding member 3 is further inserted for being engaged in the engaging hole 7 in the elastic beam portion 6. At the same time, the protrusions 8 of the above-described lock release member 4 are received in the notched portion 9.
In contrast, when the plug 1A is extracted from the adapter 1B, since the protrusions 8 of the lock release member 4 pushes up the elastic beam portion 6 of the adapter 1B, while the engaging pawl 5 of the cable holding member 3 is engaged in the engaging hole 7 in the elastic beam portion 6, the engaging pawl 5 of the cable holding member 3 is extracted from the engaging hole 7 in the elastic beam portion 6. When the plug 1A is further drawn through the lock release member 4, the plug 1A is released from the adapter 1B. The above-described connecting structure is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. Hei 4-25807.
In the above-described conventional technique, since it is necessary to release the engagement of the engaging pawl 5 of the cable holding member 3 with the engaging hole 7 in the elastic beam portion 6 by pushing up the elastic beam portion potion 6 by the use of protrusions 8 of the lock release member, irrespective of whether the plug 1A is inserted into the adapter 1B or the plug 1A is extracted from the plug, the lock release member 4 is slidably attached to the cable holding member 3, such that the protruded portion 8 of the lock release member 8 can be transferred along the attached direction within a range wherein the protruded portions 8 are located across the engaging pawl 5 of the cable holding member 3.
Thus, there is no problem in the case of installing a plug 1A into an independent adapter 1B while gripping the lock release member 4, but a problem is encountered in inserting the plug 1A into an adapter 1B by gripping the lock release member 4 when a plurality of adapters are in a densely mounted array, because adjacent lock release members disturb the accurate positioning of the lock release member 4.
Under these circumstances, it is assumed that the plug 1A is inserted into the adapter 1B by gripping the cable 2. However, since the lock relese member 4 is slidable for the cable holding member 3, when the cable is pushed into the adapter 1B, the cable holding member 3 is inserted into the adapter 1B towards the lock release member 4. Thus, the protrusions 8 of the lock releasee member 4, which comes later than the cable holding member 3, cannot move forward while the protrusions 8 of the lock release member 4 push the elastic beam portion 6 upward, and as a result, a problem arises that the engaging pawl 5 cannot become engaged in the engaging hole 7, and this state is called half engaged state.
If the plug 1A in the half engaged state is located at the outside of the densely mounted array of adapters 1B, it is possible to insert or draw the plug 1A easily. However, if the plug 1A in the half engaged state is located in the middle of the matrix of the adapters 1B, the already inserted plugs 1A surrounding the half engaged plug must be extracted in order to extract the half engaged plug, which results in causing a problem that the number of operations increases. In addition, if the half engaged plug is left as it is, and if the cable connected by the half engaged plug is drawn during operation of the system, a problem arises that malfunction may be encountered in a system, which may be, for example, an electronic exchange system.
It is therefore an objective of the present invention to provide a locking and unlocking mechanism, capable of providing reliable connection even during operation while gripping the cable and also provide a locking and unlocking method.
The first aspect of the present invention provides a locking and unlocking mechanism for locking and unlocking the connector comprising a cable holding member for holding an end of a cable and a lock release member slidably attached to the outside of the cable holding member, to the housing for receiving said connector and for conducting the cable; wherein, at the time of inserting the connector, a pushing operation of the lock release member allows connection of a lock release member to a housing by setting the lock release member at a set position by engaging of the engaging pawl provided with one of the cable holding member or the lock release member with an engaging portion provided with the other one of the cable holding member and the lock release member by pushing up the elastic beam portion provided in one of the cable holding member and the lock release member by means of a protrusion provided with the other one of the cable holding member and the lock release member; at the time of extracting the connector, the connector is released from the housing by sliding the lock release member in the releasing direction for pushing up the elastic beam member by the protrusion; and the lock and unlock mechanism further comprises an automatic retracting device for moving the lock release mechanism to the set position and to the reset position at the time of inserting and extracting the connector.
The second aspect of the present invention provides a locking and unlocking mechanism for locking and unlocking the connector comprising a cable holding member for holding an end of a cable and a lock release member slidably attached to the outside of the cable holding member, to the housing for receiving said connector and for conducting the cable; wherein the lock and unlock mechanism comprises: in the connector, an engaging pawl provided in the cable holding member; in the connector, a protrusion on the beam portion extended from the lock-release member extending towards the housing; and in the housing, an engaging portion provided in an elastic beam portion, in which one side is opened for receiving said beam portion, provided with an engaging portion for engaging with said engaging pawl and a notch for receiving said protrusion; an automatic retracting device, in which, when the connector is inserted, the lock release member is moved to a set position where the protrusion of the lock release mechanism is received by the notch portion in the elastic, and when the connector is extracted, the lock release mechanism is moved to the reset position with respect to the cable holding member; wherein, the connector is connected to the housing by adjusting the engaging pawl of the lock release mechanism of the connector to the engaging portion of the housing by pushing up the elastic beam portion of the housing by means of the protrusion of the lock release mechanism of the connector and by moving the lock release member to the set position through the automatic retracting device.
According to the third aspect of the present invention, in a locking and unlocking mechanism according to the first aspect, said automatic retracting device comprises an elastic body provided between a cable holding member and the lock release member, pressed at the time of inserting the connector.
According to the fourth aspect, in the locking and unlocking mechanism according to the second aspect, said cable holding member comprises a pushing portion for applying a pushing force to said lock release member, and said automatic retracting device comprises a forward descending inclined plane provided with said pushing portion, and at the time of inserting the connector, the beam portion is bent toward the elastic beam portion by pushing the beam portion of the lock release portion through said inclined plane.
According to the fifth aspect, there is provided a locking and unlocking mechanism for locking and unlocking the connector comprising a cable holding member for holding an end of a cable and a lock release member slidably attached to the outside of the cable holding member, to the housing for receiving said connector and for conducting the cable; wherein the lock and unlock mechanism comprises: in the connector, an engaging pawl provided in the cable holding member; in the connector, a protrusion on the beam portion extended from the lock release member extending towards the housing; in the housing, an engaging portion provided in an elastic beam portion, in which one side is opened for receiving said beam portion, provided with a engaging portion for engaging with said engaging pawl and a notch for receiving said protrusion as well as a guide portion for guiding the distal end of the beam portion; and the automatic retracting device, provided between the cable holding member and the lock release member, after the connector is extracted, for moving the lock release member to a set position where a top end of the beam portion is made flat, and when the connector is extracted, the connector is separated from the housing by releasing the engagement between the engaging pawl with the engaging portion by pushing up the elastic beam portion of the housing by bending the beam portion, and by moving the lock release member to the reset position by said automatic retracting device.
According to the sixth aspect, in the locking and unlocking mechanism according to the fifth aspect, said automatic retracting device comprises a forward descending inclined plane provided on one of the receiving portion and the engaging pawl and an abutting portion for abutting to said inclined plane, and, at the time of extracting the connector, said inclined plane and said abutting portion bend the beam portion of the lock release mechanism toward the elastic beam portion.
According to the seventh aspect, in the locking and unlocking mechanism according to the fifth aspect, said lock release member comprises an engaging portion for receiving said engaging pawl and said automatic retracting device comprises an inner downward periphery of said engaging portion and a top end pushing portion for pushing said periphery, and the top end pushing portion of the engaging pawl and said internal periphery make the beam portion of the lock release member bend towards the opposite side of the elastic beam member.
According to the eighth aspect, in the locking and unlocking mechanism according to the first aspect, said lock release member comprises a gripping portion for extracting the connector.
The ninth aspect provides a method for locking and unlocking a cable connector comprising a connector for holding an end of a cable and a lock release member slidably attached to the outside of the cable holding member and a housing for receiving said connector and conducting the cable, and a method of unlocking the cable connector is carried out by sliding the lock release member of the connector fitted in the housing from the set position to the release position, wherein the method comprises: fitting the connector into the housing, at the time of inserting the connector, by the steps of: inserting the cable gripping the cable holding member into the housing, pushing up the elastic beam portion by a part of the lock release member, engaging the engaging portion of the elastic beam portion with the engaging pawl of the cable holding member, and by moving the lock release member to the set position by the elastic energy of the elastically deformed lock release member by being pushed by the cable holding member; and disconnecting the connector from the housing, at the time of extracting the connector, by the steps of: extracting the lock release member, pushing up the elastic beam portion for releasing the engagement between the engaging portion of the elastic beam portion and the engaging pawl of the cable holding member and moving the lock release member to the reset position by the elastic energy of the lock release member by the elastic energy of the lock release member caused by the elastic deformation after the connector is extracted.